A Void in a Soul
by PVonTuckIII
Summary: When an unplanned factor causes Tenno Aaron's Orbiter to make a dangerous transition to the Void, he finds himself in a place where there are no oppressive empires or murderous corporations, but darkness still lingers. And as a Tenno, it is his duty... to destroy it.
1. Chapter 1 - Miscalculation

**Chapter 1: Miscalculation**

 **A/N - Not much to say ATM. On with the story! Hope you guys like it!**

 ***I do not own anything related to RWBY/Warframe. All such assets belong to Rooster Teeth and Digital Extremes respectively.***

 **Orion Arm, Milky Way galaxy**

 **Kingdom of Vale, Remnant**

 **Beacon Academy, Night before the Initiation**

As the first-year students of Beacon settled down for the night in the huge hall, Ruby Rose was lying on her cot, thinking. She had come to Beacon two years early and as such, she had next to no friends, aside from her older sister Yang.

Ruby sighed as she turned her body on the cot, trying to fall asleep but to no avail. Finally, she rested her eyes upon the large window on the side of the hall, giving her a clear access point to the night sky of Vale. The girl smiled softly as she looked in amazement at the shining stars that filled the twilight heavens. She would never get tired of seeing something as beautiful as this every night. As Ruby tried to count the stars, a thought crossed her mind.

 _I wonder if anyone is up there? Looking up at the sky like me right now._

As she continued to gaze at the sky, she saw a shooting star arc from the heavens, which fell towards the horizon. Without delay, Ruby performed the age-old tradition of wishing upon a shooting star, where she wished to have more friends soon in this place. With a new sense of hope within her, she then calmly fell asleep with that one last thought in mind.

 _I wish everything could be different tomorrow._ _  
_  
She had yet to find any friends, yet the girl remained optimistic about what would come in the next day. Sadly, Ruby didn't realized that the world she lived in was slowly becoming worse as the days rolled by. Whether the danger would came from within or from outside beyond of Remnant.

What Ruby didn't know at the time, was that her wish would become true. Though it would be incorrect to say that it was because she wished upon a shooting star. Yet it would be inaccurate to say that it _was_ a shooting star at all as it was something far more different and powerful than a burning space rock grazing into Remnant's atmosphere.

 _ **-VotS-**_

"Punch it, Ordis!" He yelled as the Landing Craft docked with the waiting Orbiter. "The alarms are already off. It won't be long before the Grineer mobilize their ships."

A cracked hexahedron hologram of the ship's Cephalon quickly popped up. "Right you are Operator! I'll prepare for- _imminent destruction-_ evasive maneuvers!"

The Orbiter fired its main thrusters as it accelerated into the eternal darkness. Meanwhile, dozens of kilometers behind the Tenno vessel, a Grineer Galleon slowly came to life as its crew were stabilizing the systems before its forward-facing weapons were coming online. As the Orbiter fled, the galleon's powerful detonite-propelled cannons fired its first few shots at the spacecraft before it.

The Tenno on board, Aaron, knew from experience that those cannons were no joke. While seemingly primitive compared to the Void ammunition wielded by some of the Tenno's landing crafts, or the plasma and energy weapons that the Corpus possessed, they were still extremely powerful and effective weapons. Not to mention much cheaper to build. All in all, the Grineer's weapon systems were capable of shattering warships like porcelain, where the kinetic energy from each strike could turn even the strongest armour and shields into piecemeal.

He gripped the arm-rest of the Somatic Link harder. "Any time now, Ordis!"

Ordis restrained himself from responding as he was busy calculating the Void Jump, it was an incredibly complex procedure, due to the convoluted and chaotic nature of the Void itself. A single error could disintegrate them, scattering their atoms across the wide expanse of the Void and normal space.

The ship rolled through the ocean of emptiness, dodging the frighteningly accurate streams of detonite-propelled ammunition that were flying at it.

Aaron closed his eyes, praying that the Orbiter could make it through this. Normally the Orbiter was always in the Void, but the fact that he had to extract some power cores from this Grineer ship meant that they needed something a bit bigger to carry them.

"Done!" Ordis cried as the humming built up to a high-pitched whine. "Operator, please prepare for Void Jump." The Tenno sighed with relief, the Orbiter would be fine. He would live through this to—

Any thought he had now vanished in an instant as a powerful "clang" echoed through the vessel. Ordis quickly cried out again. "A hit on port side! Void Jump no longer recommended!"

"JUST DO IT!" Aaron screamed. He was well aware of the risks, but if they stayed a second longer, they would be dead anyways.

There was an infinitesimally small pause and a high whine broke out as a powerful surge of energy propelling the Orbiter into the Void. As a result of the damage on the hull, the Void travel became imperfect and rough, creating an aggregated marriage of the high sheering forces produced by the combination of the lateral acceleration in the Void and the yank of gravity inside the ship.

Because the Zariman suit wasn't designed to withstand the high forces of acceleration, Aaron felt the strain on his body as the g-forces were beginning to pull blood from his head down into his legs. He could only remain conscious for a few seconds before he blacked out.

 _ **-VotS-**_

Aaron got up immediately as the Orbiter bucked again, almost disoriented as blood rushed back into his head.

A distant roaring sound echoing throughout the interior of the ship quickly caught his attention. Activating a holographic screen interface before him, the Tenno took a quick check of the Orbiter's status. What he got stunned him- the vessel was flying into a planet's atmosphere and the entire hull was burning up, its energy shields were inactive. At this altitude, the wind currents were getting extremely turbulent, sending his craft, as well as himself, hurling around like some kind of demented merry-go-round.

"Ordis! ORDIS!" The Tenno yelled out into the dead air of the Orbiter.

Yet no response came to him. The forceful Void jump, along with the damage they sustained must have sent the Cephalon into hard shutdown. And without Ordis, Aaron had no way of controlling the Orbiter. Or, at the very least, no way of saving himself from getting turned into Void-infused pulp planetside.

 _After all the adventures I've gone on, it would be a pretty sad way to go._

After the faulty Void Jump, both the Orbiter and Landing craft had accidentally transferred out to normal space and headed towards a planet. While the Orbiter certainly was capable of planetary flight, it was not designed for free falling through a planet's atmosphere for minutes on end.

As he continued to berate himself for his stupidity, he fervently looked over the limited controls in his Somatic Link pod. There's nothing on the pod that he need to. He needed something, anything to restart—

 _By the Void, I'm stupid._

There _was_ a way to save himself and that was by restarting the ship's Cephalon. Of course, the only way to do that was with the AI control panel at the top of the ramp.

Steeling himself, he took a deep breath and disengaged the Pod and somewhat ungraciously flopped to the warm floor of the Orbiter. Despite recovering greatly after spending centuries in his pod within the Reservoir, he still couldn't run nor walk properly for too long. And in the turbulent environment he found himself in, he couldn't do anything more than just crawl.

Foot by foot, he clawed his way out of the Transference Room and up into the Arsenal compartment. The Foundry was chiming with completed orders that he never had time to claim, and the Mod station was quiet. As he stopped to catch his breath, he took a glance at the altimeter on the small, rectangular holo-projection appeared before his eyes. He was only 5 kilometres above the ground at that point.

Numbers and equations quickly flowed through his head. Speed, gravity, distance, acceleration. In a second, he figured that he had about two minutes before he was turned into a Tenno pancake. Grunting with exertion, he continued crawling up the ramp to the Landing Craft and the Cephalon control panel at the top.

With a relatively Olympian effort, he grasped the ramp's surface and pushed himself to his feet. As he arrived at the station, Aaron was faced with a myriad of holographic controls at the spot. Years of managing the Cephalon manually were imprinted into his nerves, and his fingers danced across controls. Vibrant images flashed before him before disappearing.

Finally, the last button popped up, displaying the confirmation he needed to restart the Cephalon. Exhausted, the Tenno felt that he was about to collapse to the floor from the strenuous climbs he had to make. Without further delay, he smacked his palm into it.

There was a loud static sound produced inside the Landing Craft and a clear voice promptly emanated from the intercom.

"Hello! I am Ordis. Ship Cephalon, Caretaker of the Tenno, Series 2 Cephalon of the Oro-"

"Ordis!" Aaron wheezed. "Cut the intro. We have a problem!"

"Oh Operator! You're alive! It's good to see that the Void Jump wo- oh my!"

Ordis must have realized that in a few seconds, they would have slammed into the ground. At that moment, Aaron was grateful that he had fallen to the floor as Ordis proceeded to engage every single thruster on the Orbiter to keep them aloft. In a deceleration that would have killed most, the vessel went from terminal velocity to zero in under 3 seconds.

Thanks to his Void-infused physiology, Aaron survived, though left breathless for the second time in 2 minutes.

"Ordis. Please warn me before you do that again."

If a holographic diamond could look abashed, Ordis probably would have. "I am _so_ sorry, Operator. Ordis was just trying to- _kill of the weakling-_ protect the Operator's well-being."

Aaron sighed in great relief. Now that he wasn't in life threatening circumstances, he pulled himself to his feet and staggered back to the Transference Room for the Somatic Link, welcoming it's comforting embrace. Closing his eyes, he felt his consciousness reach out to connect with the Warframes currently in storage.

However, something was wrong. He couldn't sense the Lotus anymore. Frowning, he directed some of his attention to the ship's external cameras. Looking below, he came upon a strange sight.

The world they were hovering on looked like planet Earth of old, long before the Orokin Mega-Flora turned the planet into a towering garden. "Ordis, where are we?"

He heard the Cephalon's voice in his mind through the Somatic Link. _"Unknown, Operator. This-_ wretched- _planet has not been logged on any database. Neither Orokin, Tenno, Grineer nor Corpus. It's a complete unknown."_

From the sound of it, that couldn't be good for them. As of now, the Orbiter was flying high above the planet in the orbiter while Aaron was observing, studying the new terrain below. So far, the scanner hadn't yet to detect any life forms. However, the Orbiter wasn't designed as a reconnaissance vehicle. It could do the job well, but the Warframes themselves were capable of gathering data with much efficiency and effectiveness.

Which was why he was going to send one down there.

"Ordis," Aaron called.

The Cephalon's holographic form popped up again. "Yes, Operator?"

"Prepare the Scimitar. We got some recon to do."

Without a word, Ordis disappeared. Aaron could hear the hum beneath his feet as the Scimitar Landing Craft powered up. If there were hostiles on this planet, he would need the Scimitar's Void missiles to provide cover fire. He reached out to the Arsenal and picked out his 'avatar'.

He decided on Excalibur Prime among the Warframes, a rare commodity even among the Tenno. Such Warframes of its kind were reserved for those who were once the first Tenno. For its weapons, he picked a Lanka for long range engagements, a Mara Detron shotgun for close range skirmishes and a venerable Nikana Prime. The weapons were leaning towards the 'shoot first, question later' spectrum of lethality. The Tenno was dealing with an unknown situation here and he would prefer not to draw too much attention from the local inhabitants while gathering data.

Both the weapons and Warframe of his choosing digitized themselves in the Arsenal segment. He placed them onto his Warframe's magnetic holsters before allowing the weapons to disappear into the localized Void Space Bubbles generated over each Frame.

Aaron fully immersed himself into the Transference process and felt his soul and consciousness merged with Excalibur Prime. When he opened his eyes again, he was looking through the Warframe's perspective. He _was_ the Warframe.

The chaotic, menacing and twisted Void Energy flowed through his appendages as he felt the incredible power surged through him. The Tenno had been trained in the way of Madurai, using unrelenting force to destroy a target at its heart. He was ready for anything that would come next as he approached the Landing Craft that was waiting for him.

It was time to meet the neighbours.

 **A/N - Well this chapter was quite short, but I mostly made it to introduce the main character of Warframe. Next chapter is in the works, and it will be out soon. Can't wait to see you guys there!**

 **-PVonTuckIII**


	2. Chapter 2 - Meet n' Greet

**Chapter 2 - Meet n' Greet**

 **A/N - Sup everyone. So in response to one question I got, I will be using Lore Tenno for the story, for the most part. What I mean is, things that haven't been explained in the lore that may be needed in the story will be hand-waved in (ie - Tenno can speak through the Warframes). Just wanted to get that out of the way. On with the story!**

 **Milky Way Galaxy, Orion Arm**

 **Remnant, Vale**

 **Emerald Forest, Unknown Time**

After getting dropped off in the forest, Aaron wandered for a bit. He hadn't yet detected any signs of lifeforms in the area, but with the state of vegetation here, the Tenno was sure he'd to run into _something_ sooner or later.

Easily leaping over a small stream, he examined his surroundings. While it was much obvious he was in a forest, something about this place seemed... different than what he used to. Normally on Earth, such woodland like this would have been flourishing with life. Birds, insects or creatures of any class. Mammals or reptiles, regardless of their size.

The Tenno stood next to a tree, his right hand touched its bark and caressing it. An unremarkable perennial woody plant as this would be very difficult to look for nearly everywhere on the homeworld of humanity. All trees there were as tall as skyscrapers, yet relatively the same. Little to no variety of their species nor appearance.

Not only that, this forest seemed so... oddly tranquil as well.

Normally, whenever he went to Earth, it was only for performing a mission. Take out another Toxin Injector, or eliminate a Grineer garrison. He didn't pay much attention to admire the scenic view all the time. The only sight he always received on that planet was the bodies spreading their vitriol across the ponds.

His somber thoughts were interrupted by Ordis chiming in private communication channel. _"Operator, I'm picking multiple bio-signatures. 50 meters out."_

Each of his sensory faculty was instantly on high alert. The Tenno raised his Lanka slightly. "Hostile?"

 _"Unknown. The creatures don't seem to know you're here. Otherwise, they'd be-"_

"Approaching me. Termination will be executed if hostility is confirmed. Keep me updated, Ordis."

 _"Affirmative, Operator."_

He jumped and reached up to a tree branch, pulling himself upward to it before kneeling on the branch. Sighting through the high-magnification scope on the Lanka, the Tenno realized with some annoyance that the intense foliage in the forest was heavily restricting his sightlines. _'I guess that's one good thing about Toxin Injectors; it makes it easier to gain proper headshots at 200 yards,'_ he sardonically thought.

All thoughts immediately ceased as the first signs of life poked it's head out of the bush in the distance in front of him.

 _What in the Void?_

A fairly apt reaction, taking into account at the creature emerged from the undergrowth which looked unlike anything he had ever seen before. Its appearance bore some resemblance to some bears on Earth. But that's where its similarity ended as the bear-like creature was covered midnight black fur, with bone-white plate on its face and a pair of glowing blood red eyes.

Any normal people would have been easily shocked, their heart racing in either fear or concern at the sight of such an abnormal beast. He would have reacted the same if the Tenno had not been a hardened and cold-blooded killer of nightmares for centuries. For that matter, his first reaction to such an encounter was what some of his kin would call smart, while insipid by others.

He planted a round into its head.

At best, a sniper rifle of similar caliber on this world would have injured the Ursa but not killed it. However, the Corpus Lanka that was in use for years by either Corpus or Tenno, had been steadily developed and perfected to be one of the ultimate tools of precision and elimination with satisfactory effectiveness. Particularly in the lethal hands of the Tenno. A single round from the Lanka could take the head off a Crewman hiding behind 5 meters of Corpus warship plating.

As such, it came as no such surprise to Aaron when the round blew apart the _entire upper body_ of the Ursa, before its corpse collapsed to the ground, leaving a faint smell of burning ozone in the air.

 _Looks like I can save my rifle for heavy targets._

His self-felicitation was short lived as he watched the creature's body slowly dissolved and evaporated into black smoke. A sight which eerily reminded him of any Infested units he killed right before their carcasses disintegrated into thin air.

The Tenno's recollection was cut short by a transmission from Ordis. _"Operator, I'm getting something. A few seconds ago, every single bio-signature started moving towards you. It's like something triggered them."_

Of course.

He slung the Corpus sniper rifle onto his back, allowing it to dissolve into the Void. As he did, a Mara Detron swiftly materialized onto his right hip. A powerful hand-shotgun, it had once been the favoured weapon of raiders and pirates. Now it served a much more noble purpose, though there were many who would argue that point.

Just as Aaron landed from the tree, his radar picked up several pings close to his position as several wolf-like creatures burst out from the bushes. They shared the same unusual external features to the creature he dispatched earlier. They all bared mouths lined with dozens of needle-like fangs, growling in an animalistic display of strength.

Back in the safety of the Somatic Link within his Orbiter, Aaron inwardly smirked behind his emotionless facade at the position he was in.

"Very well," he flatly said to the beasts as they growled menacingly at him. His Warframe's digit rested gently on the gun's trigger with discipline, waiting to pull the weapon's mechanism at its initial target. "Who's first?"

 _ **-VotS-**_

 **Milky Way Galaxy, Orion Arm**

 **Remnant, Vale**

 **Emerald Forest, Beacon Academy Initiation**

Blake and Yang crept through the bushes at a steady pace, sticking to the shadows in the trees as they approached the temple. Both girls were hoping they would meet other initiates soon. Suddenly, the calm of the forest was shattered, as the pair heard what were clearly loud, inhumane shrieks emanating from somewhere inside the forest.

"Was that one of the other teams?" Yang asked.

Blake shook her head. "No, it sounded like Grimm. Someone must have come under attack."

The blonde girl frowned. She didn't like the idea of someone was being attacked by Grimm, even if everyone inside the forest was well-trained for such things. "Shouldn't we go help them?"

Her raven-haired partner turned her gaze to the source of the screech in the forest. Despite the fact that she also felt a bit of concern for whoever was under attack in the woods, she was confident that they would manage to get through the trouble unharmed. "No, they'll be fine. Besides, I think they'd call out for help if they needed it."

Yang shrugged, unable to deny the logic in Blake's statement. "If you say so."

The candidates continued to proceed to their objective, traversing through the Emerald Forest for minutes, until they cleared the foliage. Walking out from the forest into a clearing, they could see that at the center of the glade was a ruined temple with circular platforms within, along with a dozen pedestals with the relics on top of them, which surprisingly enough were black and gold chess pieces.

"Chess pieces?" Blake asked, a confused expression on her face as she examined the artifacts, noticing there were eight of them left, with some of the the pedestals devoid of any such pieces.

"I guess we aren't the first ones here," Yang said, also aware of the amount of relics left in the temple. She inspected them more closely, looking at each chess piece before she stopped to the one that caught her interest the most. "Well... how about a cute little pony?" She asked excitedly as she picked up a golden knight chess piece.

Blake rolled her eyes at the blonde's childish demeanor, but smiled all the same. "Sure."

However, neither of them realized the screeches that had gone on for several minutes, deep in the forest, had suddenly fallen silent.

 _ **-VotS-**_

 **Milky Way Galaxy, Orion Arm**

 **Remnant, Vale**

 **Emerald Forest, Beacon Academy Initiation**

Headmaster Ozpin and Glynda, his ever-dependable friend and fellow teacher, stood on the edge of the cliff facing the Emerald Forest before them, watching the progress of the candidates from their Scrolls. A network of cameras spanned the entire forest, allowing the two teachers to easily observe anything that happened during the initiation.

Ozpin watched from his Scroll as several new pairs were made, such as Cardin and Russel, as well as Blake and Yang. Good, those pairs would do well in their studies. He was about to switch over to Ruby Rose when Glynda called him from behind.

"Professor Ozpin? There's something you need to see."

He sipped his cup of coffee in his other hand before replying to her. "A new pair?"

"No. There's an anomaly." Glynda walked up to the headmaster, showing him the live feed from one of the cameras on her Scroll.

Ozpin looked over the screen and for a second, he didn't see anything wrong with it. "All I see a Grimm's lower body. I presume one of the candidates managed to tear off a Grimm into half."

"And the Grimm pinned to a tree by a piece of wood?" She added.

"I suppose some of the candidates may be a bit more aggressive than we realized," he calmly replied.

Glynda frowned at his nonchalant response, yet she continued. "That's all fine, Professor, but that doesn't address my real issue with this. This location is nowhere near any of the candidates. It's a good 2 kilometers away from any of them. Not only that, we have no confirmation that a team of Huntsmen supposed to be operating in that area. If there were any, we should have been informed of their presence from the beginning."

Her reasoning caught Ozpin's interest as he turned to her. "So you're worry is that whoever did this is not a Huntsman nor our candidates."

She nodded. "It's not normal for Grimm to fight themselves and I've never seen this many of them killed on a scale like this."

Ozpin sighed; he supposed she's right about this. It _was_ unusual for something like this happened during the initiation. He hoped that who or whatever killed the Grimm in Glynda's Scroll wouldn't harm his candidates. He took another sip of the coffee before addressing her. "Let's just wait and see. I have faith in the abilities of the candidates to defend themselves."

 _ **-VotS-**_

 **Milky Way Galaxy, Orion Arm**

 **Remnant, Vale**

 **Emerald Forest, Beacon Academy Initiation**

The Grimm were the most fearsome monsters known to mankind on Remnant. Driven by negative emotions of the living, they were fear incarnate, spreading destruction to wherever they went. But even fear had to bow to death. As death was exactly what the Tenno were.

Aaron narrowed his eyes at the situation upon him, completely resolute as he looked at the forms of the bizarre wolf-like beasts that were surrounding him. With an instantaneous thought of demand, a Nikana Prime quickly materialized on his left waist. His left hand slowly grasped its sheath near the sword's guard in a delicate manner, which prompted the beasts to charge at the Tenno.

Faster than a person's normal eyes could see, the Excalibur Prime swiftly raised his Mara Detron and rapidly fired five consecutive shots at the first five wolf-like creatures before him from left to right. Two of them instantly received a massive hole on their chest, the other two beasts had their lower jaw blown off to bits and their neck was almost shredded, while the last one lost entire upper part of its head with only its lower jaw left intact.

All five of them were killed within two seconds.

As time became slower for the Tenno, from his peripheral vision he saw two other beasts coming at him from his left. With swift movements, Aaron holstered his sidearm to his right hip before pivoted on his heel, turning left towards the creature. Pushing the guard with his thumb, the sword thrusted slightly out from its sheath. As the Tenno bent down a little, his free hand grasped the Nikana Prime's handle before he dashed forward. He pulled the sword out of its sheath and swung it in a golden arc, cleanly bisecting both creatures that were about to pounce on him.

Two-and-a-quarter seconds was all he needed to slice off the two.

For all their fearsome appearances and capabilities, the Grimm might as well be mere insects to the Warrior-God. With several more Grimm before him, Aaron blurred forward in movement, becoming a quick smear of alabaster and gold against the greenery. Within a few seconds, four more Beowolves found themselves bisected as their upper bodies flying.

An Ursa charged forward and he flipped over the beast. As he hung in the air above the Ursa, Aaron produced the Mara Detron and fired at its head. The gun's radioactive pellets ripped through the creature's armored head like it was nothing, before blowing its head off in the process by the pellets' sheer kinetic energy.

Even before the bear-like creature's corpse hit the ground, the Tenno fired another blast straight into a Beowolf in below front of his right, denying its head from its body permanently. He slid as soon as he landed on the ground. Without turning his head to another Beowolf left of him, he lifted the Mara Detron to his chest level, directing its muzzle at the Grimm before firing the weapon, sending the beast flying backward.

The clearing was interspersed with streaks of turquoise produced from the muzzle of his hand-shotgun, and flashes of gold from his blade. The weapons spoke and death answered his call for his targets' inevitable demise.

As Aaron stood up, he quickly holstered the Mara Detron before using his free right hand to catch a punch from another Ursa, stopping the attack dead in its tracks. His arm didn't move by the slightest by the momentum of the punch he stopped. In Aaron's next move, he promptly lifted his right leg for a front push kick.

The Excalibur Prime's foot connected in the middle of the Ursa's chest. With the Warframe's highly enhanced and dense musculature allowed him to kick it like a plush toy. The Grimm didn't know it of course, but he had pulled that kick. It was propelled backwards, slamming into a tree with such force that the trunk exploded, sending metre long shards of wood flying around the clearing.

With the motion tracker identifying a target behind him, the execution was simple. Smoothly turning around, he grabbed a rather sharp and rigid piece of wood on the one fluid motion, he tensed his arm, before hurling the shard of wood at the nightmare-wolf sneaking up behind him. Like a Zeus's thunderbolt, it hit just below the neck, sending the wolf flying and pinning it to a tree, which made pained sounds at the impact.

He released his left hand's hold on the Nikana Prime's sheath before the weapon disappeared into the Void. The Tenno took a few seconds to examine the result of his performance. Fourteen unknown creatures dead in under 30 seconds. Sloppy.

 _Teshin would be more than a little displeased if he saw this now_ , he sourly thought.

As Aaron inwardly reprimanded himself for his mediocre execution, Ordis' voice filled his thoughts. _"Operator, I'm picking up an artificial structure 2 clicks south-west. Presumably built by the local inhabitants."_

 _I guess that's where I'm going, he thought_. "Thank you, Ordis. Keep me posted. En route to destination now." The Tenno paused for a second to make sure everything was ready with his equipment. In a flash, the Warrior-God was gone. Sprinting and weaving through the thick forest to his next objective.

 _ **-VotS-**_

 **Milky Way Galaxy, Orion Arm**

 **Remnant, Vale**

 **Emerald Forest, Beacon Academy Initiation**

Yang and Blake had just retrieved their pieces when they heard another shriek penetrate the dense forest cover. This one, however, was more obviously human. Both of them whipped around, trying to find the source of the scream.

"Some girl's in trouble!" Yang exclaimed, looking around in concern.

However, the blonde noticed that Blake did not respond as she did, as the girl was staring slack-jawed at something in the sky. Yang followed her gaze upwards and saw something falling from a Nevermore circling above.

"HEADS UUUUUPPPP!" Ruby screamed as she fell towards the ground. There were chances that she would have a painful and possibly fatal landing if she actually hit the ground. As fate would have it, Jaune, who had been flung by a massive Deathstalker, intercepted her, causing both candidates to slam into a tree.

Soon afterwards, the woods to the left of Yang and Blake suddenly burst apart, revealing a massive Ursa. Both girls was about to prepare themselves for a fight when a familiar orange-haired girl jumped off its back as the Ursa collapsed to the forest floor.

"Aww, it's broken," Nora sadly stated as she pouted.

Her partner, Ren, came from behind the dead Ursa, looking exhausted. "Nora… please… Don't ever do that again," he asked the girl while visibly short of breath. He might as well have saved his breath as Nora had already darted over to the temple for the relics.

She inspected each chess piece on the pedestal carefully, gazing at them with captivation like a child until she stopped in front of a golden rook chess piece. After a short moment, she grabbed the piece and put it on her head as she danced around with it while singing excitedly. "I'm the queen of the castle, I'm the queen of the castle!"

"NORA!" Ren shouted, snapping the orange-haired girl to her senses.

She caught the chess piece as it fell off her head before walking to the irritated boy, giggling. "Coming, Ren!"

Yang looked like she really wanted to say something at that moment, but her train of thought was interrupted when the treeline before them exploded again. This time it was Pyrrha being chased by a Deathstalker, which was massive enough that it produced tremors every time it stepped.

The blonde girl snapped, her eyes flashed red and a miniature explosion erupted under her feet. "I can't take it anymore! Can everyone just chill out for two seconds before something crazy happens again?!"

It was at that moment when Ruby pointed at something above, showing that Weiss was also falling from the Nevermore, on an intercept course for the ground.

All of this added up to a scene extremely confusing for a particular being watching the teens afar.

 _ **-VotS-**_

 **Milky Way Galaxy, Orion Arm**

 **Remnant, Vale**

 **Emerald Forest, Beacon Academy Initiation**

 _What in the Void is going on over there?_

Aaron had reached a large rocky outcrop that overlooked the artificial structure, which turned out to be a massive stone construct. Looking at its design, the structure appeared to be a temple or almost like an open altar almost similar to old Earth ruins. Such remains of an old structure was not uncommon to find, even on a Grineer-controlled Earth.

Of course, that didn't prepare the Tenno also for finding humans in the area. Human children in particular, and all of them didn't look much younger than he did.

Analytically observing through the scope of his Lanka, he watched as more and more children gathered in the clearing. Interestingly, a girl rode in on one of those bizarre bear-like creatures he had encountered earlier. The thought of riding the beast had never occurred to him. Interesting choice of travel.

All of a sudden, Aaron heard an explosion coming from the treeline. He turned the scope to the source and saw another female child in bronze armor, running from with what appeared to be a giant scorpion the size of a Landing Craft. This one also shared the same features as the beasts he killed earlier—covered in bone-like armor with red markings on them.

As the Tenno observed the entire scene from the scope, he noticed one of the girls was looking at something above, which followed suite by other children standing beside her. Aaron pulled himself away from the Lanka's scope and inspected the sky. That's when he saw another female child dressed in white clothes of unfamiliar design fell from a giant bird in the sky before getting caught, and consequently saved by a young man in a breastplate.

He'd be lying if such a nonsensical scene he witnessed in front him didn't amused the Tenno by the slightest. "Ordis, are you getting this?"

 _"Affirmative, Operator. Quite extraordinary to find_ -lowlife scum- _humans here. Perhaps we have stumbled upon a lost Orokin colony?"_

Aaron mused over such implication from the Cephalon. If Ordis was correct, then they had stumbled upon a monumental discovery— there were humans existed outside of the Origin System. Whatever had happened today on this world, he needed to report back to the Lotus over the finding of great importance.

His thoughts were interrupted when one of the children, who dressed quite strangely in a red cloak, yelled something to her companions. Aaron amplified the audio sensors on his Excalibur Prime, where her voice finally reached him from the distance.

"Not if I can help it!" The girl in red cloak yelled out, before she produced a collapsible scythe twice her size and promptly charged into the open field towards the giant scorpion.

As she swung the scythe to the back, that's when Aaron found out it's also a firearm—a dual-purpose weapon similar to Redeemer and Sarpa gunblades—as she propelled herself forward at great speed by aiming the weapon behind and firing it.

The Tenno had not yet to fight such a creature, but he could tell that the sheer bulk and armour on the thing could probably withstand several shots from even an Ogris rocket launcher. From a tactical standpoint, the girl's actions was absolutely idiotic. What's worse, she didn't even try to carry out any evasive maneuvers against the beast.

His hypothesis was proven correct when the girl's scythe bounced off of its bony plates and the subsequent shot from its built-in gun had no effect. She was knocked back by the scorpion's massive pincer and flew back into the ground. The girl then pushed herself up and yelled to her companions that she was fine.

How she able to survive such hit without broken bones, internal bleeding nor any physical injury on her body was a mystery to the Tenno. He wasn't sure whether she had some kind of personal energy shield that was invisible to the naked eye, or the girl in actuality was genetically enhanced.

Realizing that her attack didn't have any damaging effect on the giant scorpion, the girl with red cloak attempted to flee from it. He then saw a blonde girl ran out to the field and shouted "RUBY!" at the girl with red cloak.

Without warning, the giant bird circling in the sky shrieked and flapped its wings, sending a hailstorm of huge feathers that stabbed the surface like spears, aimed with deadly intent at the fleeing child.

The girl with the red cloak swiftly weaved in between the feathers, avoiding them. Just when it looked like she was about to make it home free, fate decided to step in, and one of the feathers stabbed her cloak, pinning her to the ground while the other feathers continued to spike around her, preventing the blonde teen from moving any closer to the little girl. As she frantically trying to remove her cloak's restraints, the giant scorpion was approaching the girl for the kill.

Aaron mentally grimaced in the safety of his pod at the view. Every muscle fiber within the Warframe tensed as the Tenno became lightly on edge in his seat. "Ordis, any suggestions? Help out or keep quiet?"

The Cephalon hurriedly replied. "Operator, that girl will die if you don't move! You're a Tenno! -ACT LIKE ONE-!"

For a brief moment, the Tenno contemplated his current situation. He needed a way to contact the Lotus. The Orbiter wouldn't be going anywhere for a while, as the Void Jump core had been severely damaged by the reckless jump before. He wasn't sure if the locals here possessed the appropriate technology and resources to repair the core. He wasn't sure if he would stuck on this planet indefinitely. He did not know if these locals would accept such an abomination like him. All he knew was that they were his best chance for survival, and possibly their own.

The Warrior-God made his choice. Training the Lanka's scope on the giant scorpion, he took a couple of seconds to counterbalance the projectile's travel time to the target, before letting his finger slipped onto its trigger.

 _ **-VotS-**_

 **Milky Way Galaxy, Orion Arm**

 **Remnant, Vale**

 **Emerald Forest, Beacon Academy Initiation**

Yang was screaming her little sister's name, while Weiss quickly brandished Myrtenaster as she prepared to save her partner. Before either of them could react, however, they heard a loud crack split the air in the valley, just as they saw the Deathstalker stumble back.

Ruby risked a glance, peering over her raised hand. The Deathstalker was shrieking in pain, a huge, smoking _gash_ in its head. She heard another crack, as though it came from a high-powered rifle, before another similar wound opened up instantly on its back. The Grimm whirled around looking for the source of its pain. Ruby took the time to remove the clamps of her cloak before she rushed back into the safety of her group. Everyone was just as confused as to what was happening to the Grimm in front of them.

Until they saw him drop down between them and the Deathstalker.

The being which stood before the students had the same appearance as a human, but it was solid eight feet tall and appeared to be wearing an armored suit of unfamiliar design. Alabaster and cinereal circled its body, with aureate veins tracing a glimmering filigree, sparkling in the sunlight. But most unusual was the helmet, where a horn was visible on it's head. Whether that was part of the armor or the mystery person's actual anatomy, they had no idea.

The group could see that it was well-armed. In its right hand was some kind of an oversized pistol with bronze frame, while the other held a long, katana-esque blade as its sheath resting upon the warrior's left waist. The blade's entire aesthetics was similar to the armor the creature wore. Gold and white; regal yet utilitarian.

It turned to them for a second, resulting in each student became wide eyed as they stared upon a golden circle over where its face would have been. The creature looked at them for a moment before it turned its attention back to the Deathstalker.

Ruby was the first to break the silence that had fallen on her group. "Wh-Who are you?" She hesitantly asked.

The mystery Warrior remained quiet, it didn't answer her inquiry as its attention was focused solely on the giant scorpion of nightmare in front of it.

Impatient with the person's silent treatment to them, especially to her little sister, Yang stepped up to the figure. "Hey, are you gonna help us or what?" It kept ignoring her question, treated the blonde girl with reticence which upset her. "Yo, buddy! Are you listening to me?!"

Before her hand reached the figure's back, it abruptly dashed forward in a gold-white blur in the blink of an eye, leaving the teen behind as she stood there and gaped at its shocking swiftness, comparable to Ruby's Semblance. A wail far from the front drew her attention back to the Grimm.

Having recovered from its injuries, the Deathstalker now glared at the being that had caused them, who was sprinting towards it at high speed. With a bone chilling shriek, the angry giant scorpion charged, intent on killing its prey under its claws. Little did it know, the 'prey' had other plans for the Deathstalker.

As the gold-white Warrior rushed to the target, it directed its massive handgun at the Grimm and rapidly fired three successive shots at the beast's face. The glowing turquoise pellets that burrowed into its bony face caused the Deathstalker screeched in agony. As the Warrior was closing in, the large Grimm thrusted its stinger towards the attacker.

In a split second, the Warrior abruptly stopped in its tracks before it dodged the stinger in a quick sidestep, nearly hitting its head. The Warrior turned to the giant scorpion and saw its face was still exposed, which prompted the Gold-White to raised its pistol at chest level, fully confident the muzzle was directed at the beast's face. Without having to use the weapon's sight, it pulled the trigger.

The Deathstalker shrieked again as another of those pellets hit its face again, causing the beast more pain than before. As the Grimm recoiled in agony, the gold-white swiftly holstered its sidearm and grabbed the sword's handle. Some parts of the Warrior's body gleamed instantaneously in an intense tint of dark azure. Not wasting anymore time, the Tenno rushed to the Deathstalker and jumped on its right pincer, launching itself upward towards the stinger.

The Warrior pulled the sword out of its sheath and swung in a vertical arc, effortlessly severed off the Deathstalker's stinger from its tail. The entire blade glowed in faint navy aura, while the strong part of it shone in intense blue light, producing sparkling white particles from it.

As it was in mid-air away from the Deathstalker, the warrior rebounded mid-air, angling back to the Grimm. Holding the grip with both hands, the Warrior pointed its sword downward to the beast before gravity started to pull the figure to the surface. It stabbed the Grimm in the head just as it landed on the creature, instantly killing it.

As the Warrior pulled the sword out from the corpse and walked away from the slain giant scorpion, indistinct bluish light quickly poured over the dead Grimm as it was slowly and viciously disintegrated from existence. Within seconds, nothing was left of the creature on the field.

 _ **-VotS-**_

 **Milky Way Galaxy, Orion Arm**

 **Remnant, Vale**

 **Emerald Forest, Beacon Academy Initiation**

 _"A job well done, Operator. The Lotus would be proud of you."_ Ordis complemented over the private channel.

"Thank you." Aaron calmly walked to the awestruck teenagers as he sheathed his Nikana Prime, before the weapon vanished back into the Void.

He couldn't understand why there were children, armed children, in a dangerous place filled with hostile creatures that wanted to kill seemingly everyone. Each of said young people were still looking him with wide eyes, as well as their mouth was hanging open. Such reaction from the natives who first witnessed the capabilities of a Tenno wasn't uncommon. It wasn't very different to the responses Aaron received from the colonists he saved from the Grineer on Mars, which was a few weeks after he was awakened from eons of sleep.

After he stopped in front of the group, the little girl who lost her red cloak was shaking as she stared at him. The Tenno wasn't sure what was wrong, until her mouth opened, and he was barraged by excited questions.

"Who are you?!" Ruby quickly asked enthusiastically, before rapidly firing a multitude of questions. "Are you from Atlas? Are you a Huntsman? Where did you get those weapons? They're so cool! Wait, where's your weapons now? And how did you make that Deathstalker disappear?! Was that your Semblance?"

Ruby stopped for a moment to catch her breath, she was really hoping this mysterious warrior would answer all her questions and satiate her curiousity. However, several seconds had passed and the tall armored person remained tight lipped as he stared at her. Even though there were no visible eye-slits nor a glass visor, Ruby couldn't help but feeling a little uneasy at his stare, especially from that featureless face of his.

"Uh... are you okay mister?" Ruby nervously asked. A part of her wondered if he didn't like the way she gave her questions or whether this man was actually a mute.

The mysterious warrior was staring at the girl for a moment before he turned away from her and inspecting each teen in the group, ignoring her. A sad look was on Ruby's face, she felt a bit depressed that her chance to get some answers was quickly washed away.

Yang glanced at her sister and saw the down look on her, which made the blonde upset at this man's intentional disregard at Ruby. "Hey, she asked you some question, buddy. Don't you know it's rude if you don't answer them?"

The warrior regarded Yang for a while before he turned his gaze to Blake, who stood next to her. Yang's eyes flashed red and she gritted her teeth, clearly angry at the guy for treating both her and her little sister with no respect.

He slowly continued inspecting every teenagers in the group, where all of them except Yang were unnerved by his faceless, stoic gaze which seemed to be staring deep into their soul. Adding that he was silent the whole time made most of them slightly more queasy.

After he had done his examination, the mysterious warrior turned from the group and left them as he walked towards the forest. As he was about to pass the giant Nevermore feathers spreading all over field, Ruby stopped him again. "Wait, what's your name?"

The silent warrior stopped in his tracks, paused for a moment before he continued walking. This made Ruby dispirited a little more, while Yang seethed silently at the man. "Man, that guy was a total jerk!" Yang exclaimed angrily.

Unexpectedly, the mysterious warrior stepped towards one of the Nevermore feathers on the field, the one that still had Ruby's hood stuck below it. They watched him held the feather with one hand and to their amazement, the warrior slowly pulled it upwards until the pointy end of the feather came out of the earth and out of Ruby's cloak. Their eyes widened a bit at the incredible strength he had for pulling the Nevermore feather, which was sunken deep into the ground, with only one hand. What really made them look at the mysterious warrior in disbelief though was the fact how quick and easy for him to lift it.

The warrior tossed the feather away before he picked up Ruby's cloak that unfortunately had a hole on it. He walked back towards the group and silently held the damaged cloth back to its owner.

"Oh, thank you!" Ruby quickly grabbed her cloak from his hand, holding it close to her chest and mentally made a vow never to lose the cloak again. She was so happy to discover that this person was actually not as bad as it seemed. "You were saying, Yang?"

"Hmmph! He's still a jerk for not answering your questions, sis." Yang pouted as she crossed her arms over her chest. One single act kindness was not enough for her to change her mind about this person before them.

 _"Tenno."_

Everyone jumped, they were caught off guard by the mysterious warrior who they almost thought was a mute, who possessed a deep, rugged, masculine and electronic voice. Not only that, for some weird reason, they felt a slight chill creeping down their spine and legs as the man first spoke, as well as getting goosebumps from it.

"I-Is that y-your name?" Ruby shakily asked, the unexplained chill was rubbing off on her.

 _"It is what I am."_

The teenagers felt a little uncomfortable and cold again as soon as the warrior talked. He turned away from the group and walked, leaving them behind before he suddenly dashed towards the treeline at incredible speed, melting within the shadows of the forest.

Silence was emanating over the group over what had just transpired before them. Jaune was the first to break the quiet. "W-Who the heck was that guy?

Blake tore her eyes away from the forest to the rest of the teenagers. "His armor suit was something like Atlas tech to me. Maybe it's some kind of a prototype?"

Weiss shook her head. "I don't think so. I've never heard of Atlas making anything like that." If it was made in Atlas, she and her company would be the first to know about it, as any research and development activity in her country was run or overseen by Schnee Dust Company.

"Do you guys think we should tell Headmaster Ozpin about this? Because I really don't think that guy was part of the initiation," Pyrrha spoke up.

However, their conversation was cut short as the Nevermore that was circling up in the sky squawked again, gaining every student's attention. Yang pumped her gauntlets, preparing for another battle. "Let's take care of that Grimm first, then we can worry about our new pal."

The others nevertheless agreed, quickly brandishing their weapons before charging into their first real fight in the initiation.

While she charged alongside them, Ruby's mind continuously strayed back to the mysterious warrior who had saved her. He called himself 'Tenno'. Was that his real name? Or a title? What did he mean by it was what he was?

Another squawked from the Nevermore pulled her back into reality. Ruby shook the thoughts away, she could wonder about that later after she, Yang and her friends returned safely at Beacon Academy.

 _ **-VotS-**_

 **Milky Way Galaxy, Orion Arm**

 **Remnant, Vale**

 **Emerald Forest, Atmosphere**

Aaron slowly stepped out of the Somatic Link's chair. Staggering for a few seconds, he leaned on the smooth, almost organic metal of the pod. He was still shocked at what just occurred on the below. Just as the Tenno ran his hand through his hair, staring at the floor and trying to process what happened down there, Ordis' voice came through the speaker.

"Operator, are you feeling unwell? Do you require assistance?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine, Ordis. I... I just need to digest the information I just got."

"Very well. But I have to inform you that just before you fought those unknown creatures below, I detected numerous hidden cameras placed within the forest. All of them were sending feeds to a large compound 5 km away, every structure there was of 'modern' yet obsolete design."

Aaron tore off his gaze from the floor to the ceiling above him. He needed to think about that information later. "I assume you had that taken care of?"

"The level of security was primitive. Ordis easily hacked into the cameras' wireless network and disrupted every footage just before you enter the view. What they got instead was static and it would only return to normal once you're out of the camera's sight. -TAKE THAT-!"

He nodded, grateful to have a Cephalon who always took the initiative for him. "Good work, Ordis. Thanks."

"Anytime, Operator."

As soon as the Mad Cephalon's voice disappeared from the speaker, Aaron's mind flashed back to what he had witnessed out in the forest on the planet below.

"Humans," he muttered. What were humans doing this far from the Origin System? As far as the Lotus and the Tenno were concerned, not a single colony of the Orokin Empire had survived the Old War with the Sentients. Only Origin had managed to survive.

Not only that, but if they were a long lost Orokin colony, then at least they should've recognized the signature golden appearence of the Prime Warframe which he had wielded, a near legendary symbol of Orokin might. But the children he had met, according to what he had seen from their expression, had reacted with utter surprise that one would show when they met something very unfamiliar.

This was a troubling discovery for the Tenno. If there was a significant human population on this planet, developed far away from Orokin culture, then by any means he had to ensure that no one but the Tenno found it. The world below seemed peaceful and stable enough, but if the Grineer or Corpus, or heavens forbid, the Infestation discovered it, the repercussions could be calamitous for inhabitants.

And what were those bizarre beasts he had faced? Pure malevolence had radiated off of them and he had felt it. Their foulness was something he never encountered before, yet it was nothing he couldn't handle. As a Tenno, it was his duty to protect the Orokin and humanity... but what did that mean here, far from home and centuries after Orokin's collapse?

There was only one way to find out. He needed to speak with someone who's in charge down there, preferably a reasonable authority figure. He also would like to have a proper word to whoever sent those children into a such dangerous area filled with those hostile creatures. Were they trying to turn those kids into child soldiers if the weapons in their possession was of any indication? The Tenno didn't like it one bit. It reminded him too much of the horrific experiences he and his brothers and sisters had endured, suffered in the hands of the Orokin to become the Warrior-Gods they were now.

Alone. Stranded. Too many unknowns and far away from home. Aaron felt a slight apprehensive at the situation he's in because there was no one for him in this unknown system to rely on from here on out.

 _Was this how you felt, Mirage?_


	3. Chapter 3 - A New Beginning

**Chapter 3 - A Whole New World**

 **A/N - Hello there! So I've been getting some pretty nice reviews on this, so I thought I'd actually try and gratify those responses by updating (heh). Enjoy!**

* * *

 **In orbit of Remnant, Emerald Forest**

Aaron had spent the last few hours in the forest through his Excalibur Prime Warframe in complete boredom. With practically nothing in the forest that could threaten him, he had decided to take what fate gave him and loosen up for a while. He rarely got a chance to do so anyways.

At the moment, Aaron, who was outside of the Somatic Pod, had resigned himself to reorganizing his mods and cleaning up any stuff that he didn't need any more. Sometimes a Tenno such as him needed to get out of the Pod for a while to stretch his muscles; spending a long time sitting in the comforts and safety of the Pod could be tedious at times.

As he flicked through the mods, fusing them and engineering them for maximum efficiency, the hologram image of Ordis popped next to him. "Operator, may I ask you a favour?"

He shut down the mod system, turning to look at the Cephalon. "What do you need, Ordis?"

"I would highly enjoy if you could - _get off your butt-_ gather data for me, especially on those humans you found yesterday. This planet and its inhabitants are still completely unknown to us. In regards to the humans, however, you still need a way of contacting them."

Aaron sighed. He had said that, hadn't he? Why did he go around making promises like that when he generally hated talking to people?

He headed to the Arsenal first and flicked through the segment, picking out the same loadout he had taken yesterday. Once the Tenno was finished with the loadout, he went into the Somatic Chamber and placed himself within the Pod. He felt a brief sear of heat as the Void pulsed through his mind, connecting his consciousness to Excalibur Prime via Transference before seeping coolness swiftly took over as he merged into it.

He frowned. A strange sensation, a flicker of something else in the back of his mind, like there was something unclear yet minute fighting against him from within.

Shaking out the ill-defined feeling, he informed Ordis of his departure, who was too busy taking care of repairs to actually care. He briefly considered taking a Landing Craft down, but put it aside in favour of a more... "entertaining" option.

Palming the airlock controls, the atmosphere within the area sucked out as the pressure decreased. After ten seconds, the thick blast doors slid apart to reveal the dark sky and the sun slowly rising from the planet's horizon in front of him. From this high up in the atmosphere, the green of the forest glimmered below by faint sunlight. Through the Warframe, Aaron could smell the clear air of the morning gusting from the high top of the planet's atmosphere into the airlock. It was always a welcoming way to reinvigorate the weary.

A reminder of home.

And without further hesitation, he stepped out into the cold air and dropped like a stone to the planet below. A golden star falling to earth.

 **Beacon Academy, Morning**

Ruby yawned, waking up to the cold and clear morning. After last night's team-making, she had crashed into her bed before she could tell Ozpin about who they'd met in the forest. Thankfully for her worries, her wishes were quickly sated. Checking her scroll, she saw a message from the headmaster.

 _[Meet me in my office immediately]_

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she brushed her teeth, took a shower and slipped into her school uniform. She was just about to walk out the door when Yang woke up, giving a yawn that could scare a Beowulf.

"Where are you going, sis?"

Ruby turned around. "Just got a message from Ozpin to meet him. I was too caught up last night to talk to Ozpin about that person we met in Emerald Forest."

Yang yawned, rolling around in her bed. "Well, don't take too long. And stop being so loud; not everyone wants to wake up at six in the morning."

Ruby slowly closed the door, before continuing down the hallways that still enveloped in a peaceful haze. As she walked across the courtyard towards Beacon Tower, she looked up at the still-dark dawn sky, and as she admired it's peaceful expanse, she could have sworn she saw a flash of gold.

The same gold as was on 'Tenno'. He was still out there.

The thought circled in her mind, refusing to be dismissed as she entered the elevator. After a few seconds, she arrived and the doors opened to reveal Ozpin's office. Large gears revolved in lazy circles above her head, and ceiling-to-floor windows gave the occupant an unobstructed view of the academy grounds and the nearby forests.

Aside from Ozpin at his seat, Ruby was surprised to see Jaune stood before her, the boy she had met yesterday after he puked on the airship. "Hey there, Jaune."

Jaune smiled nervously. "Hi, Ruby. Funny meeting you here."

"Miss Rose. Mister Arc," Headmaster Ozpin called, a slightly stern tone in his voice. "I apologize calling you here at such an unpleasant hour..."

"Couldn't it have waited for a few more hours?" Jaune muttered.

"—but I find it of great urgency to discuss with you about what you and your teams encountered in the Emerald Forest. Professor Goodwitch and I were observing your interactions, but we weren't able to pick up much video and audio. Might you describe what happened to me?"

Ruby and Jaune shared an expression that said "you first" as they looked at each other. Ruby stepped forwards, recalling the memory that had been haunting her back. "We were at the temple and were threatened by this Deathstalker, and I thought I could face it alone."

Ozpin dipped his head. "And now you know the truth."

Ruby looked slightly ashamed but continued all the same. "I charged it and when my scythe was unable to hurt it, I tried to run but the Nevermore trapped me with its feathers. The Deathstalker was about to... to kill me. But then-"

Jaune noticed increasingly uncomfortability and quickly interjected. "Then we all heard this whine, like a bullet traveled through the air. And there were these huge cuts appeared in the Deathstalker's back, like someone cut it with a big blade."

Ruby chose to put her expert opinion here. "Later on, it sounded to me like someone used a sniper rifle, but whatever it was, it was way more powerful than anything I've ever seen. Even more powerful than my own Crescent Rose."

Ozpin nodded, digesting the information. "So these gashes, presumably from a high-caliber rifle opened up on the Grimm's back, distracting it from attacking you. What happened next?"

Both team leaders looked at each other again in hesitance, before Ruby decided reveal more about the event. "There was this... man appeared out of nowhere from the sky. Like," Ruby hesitated. "Almost like some kind of angel. It was actually kinda pretty and cool to look at."

Jaune glanced apprehensively at her. "Yeah... I guess. He's in some kind of armor suit I've never seen before and was taller than us. The suit he's wearing was white with gold lines running around it and had this horn on its head. Along with a golden circle on the front of its face and with no eyes."

"And he was armed," Ruby enthusiastically added. "He had this katana sword that just as shiny as his suit. And he also carried this large bronze pistol and-" She quickly paused, her memory of those amazing weapons was starting to derail the whole conversation. "He... He was really fast too. Almost as fast as my Semblance when he charged towards the Grimm. He dodged its attacks, jumped into the air and cut its stinger off, before he landed on the Deathstalker and stabbed it in the head. As he got off the dead Grimm, it was covered with some sort of blue flame, burning the corpse before it quickly disappeared into thin air."

Ozpin appeared to be deep in thought. The idea of an armed and highly-trained individual running around in the forest with superior skills to outmaneuver and quickly kill even a Deathstalker singlehandedly, along with having some sort of Semblance to disintegrate his target was... unsettling. He needed to be sure this person would not bring any harm to his students. "And did he say anything after he defeated the Deathstalker?"

Ruby was unsure how to answer that but she went on. "Ehhh, not really. He was pretty quiet when he approached us and staring at everyone while not saying a word. Aside from making Yang mad for giving her the silent treatment, it felt strung out being stared at like that."

"Couldn't agree more. I was really nervous when he stared down at me. Like I was being judged for the things I did or... something," Jaune added shakily a bit.

"And he didn't do anything after that?" Ozpin curiously inquired, this person's unusual behavior interested him.

"Well, he did return my cloak to me, which I was really grateful. So I think he's not a bad guy," she smiled, reminding herself how important that cloak to her.

"I see. Hmm..." Ozpin hummed for a moment, processing everything he heard from both students before he stood from his seat. "Thank you, both of you, for telling me this. Mister Arc, can you please leave the room? I must talk to Miss Rose."

Jaune agreed, albeit with some confusion. Ruby turned to Ozpin, a curious look on her pale face. "What do you want to tell me, Professor?"

Ozpin regarded the young girl in front of him. He had known her mother when she was a student at Beacon Academy. He looked into those wide silver eyes and saw the same courage and excitement that had once permeated in Summer Rose. "I wanted to tell you that I've sent your uncle to find this entity. He should be returning sometime today with his findings."

Ruby almost squealed with delight, but thankfully managed to keep her composure. "Uncle Qrow is coming?!"

Ozpin saw the excitement on her face and smiled warmly. "Yes, of course. He is our best tracker. Speaking of which, did this person tell you his name?"

Ruby knew the answer to that, too. She had been thinking on it all night. "Yep, he called himself 'Tenno'. But I don't know if that's his name or something else because he said and I quote: 'It's what I am'. So I'm not sure what he meant by that."

The academy headmaster considered this new information. "Thank you, Ruby. You may leave. If I require you, or your team, I will not hesitate to ask."

Ruby smiled widely, as innocent as a child. "We'll be ready, Professor." She turned and left into the elevator.

As the elevator's doors were closed, Ozpin turned back to the window staring at the wide green forest from afar, the place where a person of potentially unimaginable power resided. "I hope you are, Miss Rose. I hope you are."

 **Emerald Forest, Afternoon**

Aaron never thought he'd get bored of trees. Having spent many thousands of hours scaling the greasy metal of a Grineer shipyard, with piles of garbage dotting the horizon, or getting smashed against the gleaming industrial metal of a Corpus warship, seeing trees was always a welcome relief.

But after spending hours trekking through this forest until afternoon, he hadn't found anything but trees and a few more of those nightmarish creatures. He had tried to run an analysis or even scan them, but whatever they were completely confounded the scanners. They almost seemed incorporeal, until one of them tried to bite his head off.

All the same, he had had some success. Ordis had picked up on radio signals emanating from a distant source. Analysis had hypothesized that it was artificial in nature. Most likely human based, considering the signals happened to be TV signals. Which meant that was the way to go, if he wanted to meet the people in charge of this land for assistance.

Of course, that all led to the question of: Why were the children here armed?

To which his logical side reasoned that it was probably because of these monsters running around everywhere in this region. Sometimes he questioned where they all came fro—

Shut up.

That's what he got for being a Tenno such as him. Being an active front-line fighter in the Old War meant that knowledge and fast reflexes were mandatory. It had become a second nature for him to question everything, in the event that the answers he would acquire would save his life.

Unfortunately, it made for an annoying habit for himself when outside of combat. It also made for some very awkward conversations between his friends in the Clan.

Nevertheless, aside from the monsters, the place where he was now was quite peaceful. He only wished the rest of the Origin System was like this.

"Ordis, you got anything for me?"

There was a brief hiss of static and Ordis' voice toned in his head. "Affirmative, Operator. I have been able to determine the source of the signal. There appears to be a large human-made settlement, possibly a city, 10 miles due north of your location. I would assume that the children you encountered yesterday originated from there based on its proximity to the forest."

"Affirmative, moving out."

He was just about to do just that when the motion tracker suddenly pinged. Unknown contact, 30 metres out. Not within any line of sight. In a single fluid movement, he slid behind and up a tree, allowing the shining white and gold of the Warframe to melt into the leaf cover.

The unknown contact, to his surprise, wasn't another one of those monsters. It was a human. An adult to be precise. Dark hair, light skin and glowering eyes. A rather striking resemblance to the girl he had saved yesterday, Ruby. The man was muttering to himself, cutting down any plants that got in his way.

 _'Perhaps he was sent to find me_ ', the Tenno thought. Just like the children from yesterday, Aaron could see quite plainly the man was armed, casually holding a massive broadsword in one hand, as sunlight glinting off the carvings on the blade.

A pessimistic thought crossed his mind—was the armed man in question here to take him out? The person who sent those children yesterday probably didn't find the Tenno to be a peaceful person. Aaron hoped that wasn't the case.

He didn't want to have clean up such a mess.

 **Emerald Forest, Afternoon**

Qrow cursed, cutting down the creepers snaring the undergrowth he was treading through. Years spent doing odd jobs for Ozpin had him traversing a multitude of climates, and exploring nearly every continent on Remnant, but that didn't make trudging through a forest like this any more enjoyable.

Of course, the fact that he was searching for someone who was clearly armed and dangerous didn't help with his nerves.

"I'm getting too old for this crap." He grumbled. _'Why can't I just fight it out with him? That's something I'm good at.'_

But Ozpin had been clear on this. _"Don't do anything stupid, Qrow. We don't want to risk angering something with capabilities like the candidates described. That would cause panic."_

He'd been in the forest for a couple of hours at this point, doing nothing more than crunching through the thicket. And it was getting to him. He had never gone this long in such a small area without finding his target.

Despite the fact that he loved to proclaim to his nieces that he was the 'best tracker on Remnant,' he had to give it to this guy, whoever he was. He was pretty darn good at avoiding him, assuming that he was doing this actively.

Now that he thought about it, he could start to see why Ozpin wanted this guy found so badly. Someone with operating with no oversight, with incredible, unheard of abilities? That was a clear recipe for disaster in a place like Remnant.

The only consolation he from all this was that he seemed non-hostile, at least for the moment, if what Ruby had said was true-.

An almost imperceptible rustle.

A whisper of wind.

Sunlight off a blade in motion.

To a lesser man, it would have seemed like it had happened instantaneously. Even to his well-honed reflexes, he could barely figure what in the hell had just happened before he felt the barrel of a gun being pressed into the back of his head, and a blade pressed against his neck.

 _"Identify yourself, immediately."_

Qrow smirked. It seemed like his niece wasn't exaggerating about this guy. Perhaps he'd get his wish after all.

With a flash of smoke, Aaron found himself extremely confused when the man he had just been holding at gunpoint turned into a _bird_ and flew a safe distance away, before with a sound like metal clashing, and another swirl of smoke, the bird morphed back to the man, who was now wielding a casual smirk.

"Nice try, bud. But you'll have to be a little faster than that."

His taunt was promptly met by a spray of glowing rounds from the being's firearm. Even as he twirled his sword, cutting down the rounds, he could _feel_ the impact through his Aura. That was no standard-issue Dust firearm.

Before the bullets had even stopped hitting, the warrior surged forward, his blade clanging off of Qrow's. And for the first time in a while, Qrow realized that he actually had to put a great deal of effort in holding back that strike.

 _'Dammit Ozpin, what did you get me into this time?!'_

The intricate suit of armour his opponent wore suddenly lit up a deep blue, a hum emanating as the air around him started to vibrate.

He needed to stop this now.

Pushing back, he spun on his heel, slamming the blade into katana that had somehow been raised to parry the strike. Nevertheless, the warrior was sent skidding back. Before said being could charge back once more, Qrow stabbed his sword into the dirt. "Wait! I'm not here to fight!"

The being paused. The katana lowered slightly, but it was still unsheathed and ready. _"What?"_

The tracker raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "Sorry if I startled you or something, but I swear, I ain't here to pound you into the dirt. Name's Qrow. A real pleasure."

The golden warrior tilted his head, clearly skeptical, even if no facial features were observable. _"I'm quite certain I could decapitate you in my sleep."_

Taking a swig from his ever-present flask, Qrow gave him a slightly drunk smirk. "Oh I'm sure. Anyways, like I said, I just want to talk. Give you something from a friend."

A pause. _"What are you_ talking _about?"_

Closing the cap, Qrow fixed him with a critical stare. "Let's just say that your intervention yesterday caught the attention of some important people. Teachers, especially those at Beacon, don't like it when people interrupt their lessons. Although I do have to thank you for saving my niece."

 _"Wait, that was_ your _niece in the red?"_

"... Yeah?"

 _"Well, I can see where she got her recklessness, and I've known you for less than five minutes."_

Qrow cleared his throat. "Anyways, that's besides the point. The headmaster of Beacon, the friend I mentioned, wanted me to find you and give you this." So saying, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a slightly crumpled letter. "I'll, uh, just step aside so you can read it."

Aaron took it, reading the words insribed upon its paper surface in an elegant font:

 _"To the person known as 'Tenno,'_

 _I trust that if you are reading this, Qrow has managed to deliver it to you, hopefully with his various appendages intact. I apologize if he gave you any trouble. My name is Professor Ozpin, headmaster at Beacon Academy. At Beacon, we train the young and bright to combat the forces of darkness, the creatures of Grimm, which you no doubt encountered in bounty in the Emerald Forest the previous day. Which brings me to the point of my writing this message to you. Yesterday was when my colleagues and I were running the initiation for new students, which you happened to interrupt, though I do appreciate your willingness to aid them in mortal danger._

 _As benevolent as your actions may have been, I am morally obligated to discuss your... freedom, as many people aside from myself are concerned that someone of your nature is operating under no oversight. As such, I formally invite you for a talk, at Beacon Academy, the coordinates to which I have written below, along with a suitable time. I do hope this is merely the beginning of something cordial and professional, and that we can reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial._

 _Kind Regards,_

 _Ozpin_

Below were a set of coordinates and an address, along with a time, set for a few hours from now. Looking up, he addressed the man, who was now chugging the contents of his seemingly bottomless flask. _"I presume you are one of these... colleagues, Ozpin mentioned?"_

Qrow choked slightly, coughing to clear his throat. "Uhhhh, yeah, I was once his student. And now I teach at another academy. I do some part-time stuff for Oz every now an then."

Nodding, he folded the letter, disintegrating it in his hands. _"Very well. I will meet him. Thank you, for your service."_

Snorting, the man placed his sword on his back before sauntering away, towards the Kingdom lights. "Whatever bud. Hope things go well for ya. Kind of."

 **Beacon Academy, Afternoon**

"I'm worried about this Ozpin," Glynda admitted as she walked with the headmaster along the hall. Earlier this morning, Ozpin described to her about the unknown warrior's appearance and how he defeated a Deathstalker yesterday with incredible fighting skills based on Jaune and Ruby's detailed report. She didn't like this at all.

"The feeling is mutual, Glynda, but at least he didn't harm our students in the initiation. So that means something," Ozpin assured her as he took a sip of coffee.

"Still, an unknown huntsmen unaffiliated with any of the Four Kingdoms with unknown intention and interfered with the initiation isn't something we should take it lightly!" She quickly replied.

As they were walking through hall, they came across a scene where both Team RWBY and JNPR were running hastily late for their first class of the day.

The Headmaster sipped his coffee as always, while his partner checked the time with a frown of disapproval. "Late on the first day. Not a good sign."

"Oh relax, Glynda," chided Ozpin. "They're still children. Besides, it is their first day."

"You're too forgiving, Professor," Glynda sternly replied. "When will they learn to act their age?"

"When they're ready to. But for the moment, let them enjoy their youth."

His partner harrumphed but left the topic alone. "Have you made any headway with our...'friend' in the forest?"

Ozpin smiled. Without saying anything, he made a not-so subtle glance behind her. Catching it, she whirled around to see a crow lighting down on a tree bough. Glynda sighed. Of course Ozpin would call him in. "Hello... Qrow."

Within seconds, the crow had morphed into a full-sized man, who was already reaching for his flask. "Glynda. Oz."

The headmaster took a sip from his coffee. "Did you find our mystery man?"

Qrow snorted. "More like he found me."

"And?"

"And..." Qrow trailed off for added effect as he looked at the two professors. "I can see why you're interested."

Glynda looked at her partner. "What did you ask Qrow to do?"

Ozpin ignored the question from her as he stared right into Qrow's eyes. "Did he accept?"

Qrow chuckled. "Yep. Seemed kinda reluctant if ya ask me, though. Not really the trusting type it seems."

The blonde woman turned to her partner with her eyebrows raised dangerously. "You invited a possibly hostile being to the school?"

"I asked for a peaceful conversation about him. To learn more about his origins and his story. Assuming he read the letter that Qrow gave him, then he'll no doubt know this."

"And when exactly did you schedule this meeting?" Glynda asked as she checked her watch.

Another sip of the coffee. "Soon. In fact, within the hour, I believe."

His fellow professor sighed, muttering something like, 'Never a dull moment with you, Ozpin.' "And I assume you had good reason for you not telling me this until now?"

"What benefit would it have given you?" Ozpin replied. "It is a talk, not an interrogation."

Qrow winked playfully at the woman. "But we all know that Glynda would like an excuse to use her beating stick." He cackled, dodging the swing that the person in question had taken with her riding crop.

The headmaster nodded, a small smile gracing his face. "Indeed." He turned to the huntsman, who once again had taken an interest in his flask. "Would you like to see your nieces? I'm sure Miss Rose was quite eager to see you."

He shrugged. "I'd love to, but I uh... I got some business to take care of."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow at this, curious about his reluctance to meet with his nieces. "Very well. Take care, Qrow."

Finishing off the last of the whiskey, Qrow nodded. "You too, old man. Hope your talk goes well."

With that, there was a flash of smoke and in Qrow's place there was a black bird, rising high on the warm currents of the forest.

 **Emerald Forest, Afternoon**

His consciousness merged into the surrogate body that was his Warframe, Aaron stepped unyieldingly through the foliage of the Emerald Forest. Sunlight penetrated through the treetops, creating pools of light that reflected blindingly against the gold highlights on the Excalibur Prime. To any onlooker, it would have looked like a beacon; a constant flash of gold amongst the greenery.

He had had Ordis drop him off a few kilometres away from the coordinates that this "Ozpin" person had provided. Not that he had needed them. Even from here, Aaron could see the gleaming silver spires of what was presumably Beacon Academy. Pretty big place for a school for teenagers.

Thoughts swirled in his brain as he glided through the forest, his footsteps barely making a whisper of sound. There were so many unknowns here that the soldier within him was urging him to turn back and call in an airstrike.

But he had remembered to take a positional beacon, so that in the event that at any time during the "talks," things went south, he could feel good about leveling the area with Void missiles.

Nevertheless, this was a situation that, on an tactical level, was completely unfavourable. He had never met the person he was talking to, he hadn't the slightest clue as to the combat capabilities of this "Ozpin". Considering this was a school, he had no clue as to how he would find the man, without attracting any attention from the students, who, if the incident from yesterday was any indication, were armed and trained. The Tenno had no clue from where they learned the things he had seen yesterday.

And if all students were armed and capable of pulling off the extraordinary maneuvers he witnessed in the forest, he wondered what would the Headmaster be capable of?

None of these thoughts made him feel any better or prepared. The only reassurance he had was that as a Warframe, he technically was incapable of dying. If he did get overpowered, he could activate the Oro revival systems.

Of course, he only had four charges of that until he was out and if they could beat him once, they could probably do it four times. If that happened, Ordis would have to get the mangled chassis back for repairs. It would definitely hurt his chances of getting off this world to the point of none.

That meant the Tenno had to do everything he could to guarantee that these talks would ensure that he would have the required resources to repair the Orbiter. The safety of this world from the dangers of his realm depended on it.

His thoughts halted as he neared the edge of the forest. From here, he had a clear view over a small field to the location that the coordinates entailed. The structure he had glimpsed through the treetops was now available in all its glory.

Compared to the sublime halls of the golden Orokin Towers or the sophisticated chambers of the Tenno Dojo and the Relays which he had wandered from, this "school" was unimpressive. A far cry from even the utilitarian Corpus Gas Cities of Jupiter.

Sprawled over several square kilometres were several buildings including multiple amphitheater-esque builds, which he presumed were used for weapons training. There were more traditional school buildings ringed around them, combined with a massive brick structure which he guessed was a living space for various residents of this place.

Separating these buildings were huge gardens and cobblestone pathways, with dozens of students walking around in the sun. Large courtyards with benches dotted the green scenery.

The main attraction, however, was the massive tower jutting out from center of the campus like some titan's blade. It stretched so high into the sky that Aaron could see low clouds swirling around the peak. Even from here, he could see a massive clock perpetually in motion. If the "Headmaster" was anywhere, he would be there.

Nevertheless, there was a solid kilometre to the tower from here. And more importantly, there were several students milled around, chatting with each other, working on various devices or simply sitting around enjoying the agreeable weather. Even for someone as well-trained in espionage as himself, there was no way the Tenno would make it to the tower without being spotted.

How did this "Ozpin" expect to keep this meeting secret in such circumstances?

He scanned the open courtyard, looking for some method, any method, which could grant him the utmost stealth route to the tower.

As the Tenno checked, his gaze fell upon two adults standing aside from the other students, observing them quietly. They were obviously not students; they were more likely teachers or at least staff members. One of them, a male by the looks of it, had tousled gray hair as he was sipping a beverage from a cup. The other adult, obviously female and blonde, was sternly observing her charges in the vast expanse of the schoolyard.

He considered his options. They were far enough from the group that he could get to them without alerting any of the students. They would undoubtedly know the location of the "Headmaster" and could guide him to that person with little to no compromise of his stealth. They were, as it seemed, his best option.

Sneaking around the perimeter, he kept a constant eye on the pair. Even from this distance, the Warframe's aural sensors could pick up faint traces of conversation but nothing intelligible. Perhaps a tuning was required once this entire affair was over.

He now stood almost directly behind them, which perhaps wasn't a smart decision in a school where the students were obviously armed. The greenery still hid the Warframe's outline and muffled any noise that he made.

Now or never. He had to put aside any discomfort he had. For his sake... and this planet's.

Standing slowly, he trudged slowly over to the pair, careful to keep his footsteps quiet as he approached them. He's now within speaking distance. The Tenno was silent for a few moments, praying to the stars that this wouldn't turn bloody before he cleared his throat.

" _Ahem_."

Their reactions were both surprising and expected. The gray haired man calmly turned around before sipping his coffee. As if getting ambushed by golden aliens was a daily occurrence for him. Whereas the woman reached for what looked like some kind of thin, floppy stick.

Just before she could raise her stick, the elderly man placed a hand on her arm, placating her.

The woman shrugged it off, raising the implement towards the Tenno. "Who are you, and what are you doing on Academy grounds?"

 _'So "Ozpin" must not have informed his teachers of the meeting. Wonderful._ ' Aaron sarcastically thought.

 _"I have been invited here by your headmaster. On the matter of the events that unfolded yesterday in the Emerald Forest."_

The man with gray hair stepped forward. His face was a mix of interest and curiosity. "Are you Tenno?"

Aaron tilted his head. _"A Tenno. Tenno is not my name. It is who I am."_

The man's companion opened her mouth, presumably to berate the Warrior-God further or possibly assault him with her weapon (if it could be called that) before the man himself spoke again. "I see, and my apologies. You're here to see the headmaster?"

Aaron nodded. " _Correct_."

The man with gray hair smiled. "Well then, let's go somewhere more private. I'm sure we have a great deal of sensitive matters to talk about."

Back in the Somatic Link, Aaron's face twisted in confusion. The emotion was clearly transferred by his voice through the Warframe. " _I'm... sorry, but I will divulge any information to Headmaster Ozpin alone._ "

Once again, the man smiled. "Of course. Where are my manners? I am Professor Ozpin and this is my friend and colleague, Glynda Goodwitch. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

" _You're Professor Ozpin?_ " Aaron inquired in slight disbelief. Skepticism was clear even in his electronically filtered voice. "Pardon my bluntness, but you don't look like a headmaster."

Ozpin tilted his head, almost amused. "Is there now a standardized appearance for headmasters to follow?"  
"No. I just wouldn't have picked you out as a headmaster. On the other hand, your partner looks exactly like a teacher. Strict and authoritative, yet militant with a distrustful nature to anything new."

One could have sworn that little jets of steam were coming out of Glynda's nose at that moment, which, combined with her murderous expression, were sure signs that hadn't Ozpin interrupted at that moment, she would have probably thrown something heavy at the newcomer.

"Now now, Glynda, let's remain civil." He turned to the Tenno. "Very well, let's go. It will no doubt take some time to talk about you."

Without even waiting for a reply, Ozpin turned and strode across the campus, heading towards the massive tower Aaron had seen earlier. His companion, Glynda, gave him one last look of the deepest contempt and walked off behind him.

As for the Tenno, he stood there alone as he watched them walked away. "What now, Ordis? Should I follow them?"

"What do you think you came here for?" Ordis reminded.

He couldn't really argue with that. Resigning himself to his fate, he silently trudged across the campus. For better or worse.

* * *

 **A/N - So sorry for the delay, life got in the way of everything, and I don't think I'll need to elaborate on that. So some stuff to take care of:**

 **Firstly: A preliminary thank-you to my Beta-Reader, razer, on Spacebattles, for reading through this junkheap that is a story, making it better, and talking to me about the future for it.**

 **Secondly: No matter how I write it, that damn Qrow-meeting scene keeps feeling rushed and awkward. Not sure if I got the Qrow 'essence' down right.**

 **Anyways, that's all for now, so till next time!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Foreign Land

_**Chapter 5: Foreign Land**_

 **A/N - First chapter of 2017!**

 **Now without biting further into the word count, let's begin the chapter!**

* * *

 **Beacon Academy:**

The elevator ride up to Ozpin's office was rather quiet. Perhaps that was because having someone like Aaron in the room tended to dampen any conversation. That, and the fact that any 'conversation' would quickly escalate into a lecture from Glynda.

However, even the anti-social Aaron couldn't hold back an impressed nod upon seeing Ozpin's office. Situated high above the rest of the academy, it offered a clear view of students en-route to their classes, and the shimmering expanse of the Emerald Forest.

 _"Quite the office you have, Headmaster."_ he said, taking in the clockwork churning above his head.

Leaning back into a tall chair, behind a glass desk, Ozpin offered the newcomer a small smile. "Indeed. Although I wish that it was made closer to the ground."

While Ozpin obviously couldn't see him, far away in the safety of the Orbiter, Aaron blinked, before tilting his head, the Warframe following his movements back in the office. _"One of the most powerful men -supposedly speaking- in the world is afraid of heights?"_

"We're all afraid of something, Tenno. Speaking of which, I believe Ms. Rose pointed out that 'Tenno' was not your name, rather your... state of being?" he questioned.

 _'H_ _ere we go.'_ He cleared the voice filters, allowing his real voice to emerge through the Warframe."My name is Aaron. Tenno is my... designation, if you will."

Beside Ozpin, Goodwitch gave a small cough. "And judging by your design, I'd assume you're some form of Atlas technology? An advanced mech mixed with their newest AI cores?"

There was a minute pause. "Atlas?"

Glynda gave him another glare. "Yes, Atlas, the world's leading Kingdom when it comes to robotics and AI technology. I wouldn't put it past James to pull something like this in the middle of-"

Aaron cut her off. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

She opened her mouth to say something, but Ozpin spoke first. "Do you know where you are?"

Aaron nodded. "Beacon Academy, yes. You said so in the letter."

Taking a sip from the cup on his desk, the headmaster regarded the suit of golden power in front of him. "And do you know where Beacon is?"

"Nope."

Ozpin paused. "Well, Beacon is located in Vale, one of the four dominant Kingdoms on the planet of Remnant, is located on the continent of Sannas. Does any of that ring a bell?"

Once again, Aaron shook his head. "No, but I know exactly why. And I don't think you'll like the answer."

Glynda stepped forwards, her hand edging precariously close to her riding crop. An untrained viewer wouldn't have spotted the move, but to him it was as obvious as her waving her arms around her head. "And what is this reason for you not knowing what _planet_ you're on?"

Back in the Link, Aaron took a deep breath. ' _No going back now.'_ "I'm... not from Remnant."

"... _What?!"_

Aaron turned his palms up, the Warframe copying his movements. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but it is the truth. I am not from Remnant. I'm not even from your system."

Ozpin seemed remarkably calm for someone who had just made First Contact, but the dangerous glimmer in his eyes was more pronounced than before. "If you're not from Remnant- which makes you an alien, by the way- then where _are_ you from?"

Aaron held up one finger. "Firstly, alien implies that I'm of a different species than you. Though I have no direct method of proving it right now, I _am_ human."

Glynda leaned forwards. "There are no humans outside of Remnant."

He shook his head. "Humanity, as far as I've hypothesized, was transplanted here. By my empire. As for where I come from..."

He stepped back, and lifted one arm, the palm facing upwards. For a second nothing happened, causing both of the teachers to raise their eyebrows. Then, a brilliant flash of light illuminated the room, drowning out the sun. Glynda instinctually reached for her crop, while covering her eyes, ready to attack, but when she opened her eyes, she was met with an incredible sight.

Floating in the room was a huge holographic projection of a stellar system. In the center, an orange ball of fire roared, miniature prominences licking through its shell. Revolving around this central point, were a multitude of celestial bodies, along with a large belt of rocks like some cosmic weaving that encircled the star.

While she and Ozpin surveyed the display, Aaron spoke. "This... is the Origin system. My home." He pointed at the star. "This is Sol. The life-giver of every living being residing within Origin. Speaking of those beings..." he twirled his fingers, and the projection vanished, save for a single planet and its moon.

Neither of the professors failed to notice that the planet, while similar to Remnant, held several key differences. The moon, for one, was even more shattered than Remnant's. Golden superstructures honeycombed around the circumference. The continents on the planet were very different. Clouds of rock orbited around the world.

Both looked at him as he continued his narration. "This is Earth. The birthplace and cradle of humanity. We lived and thrived on its surface for millennia."

"It was the only world in our system capable of sustaining life. And so, for millions of years, we did not leave our cradle. We had sufficient technology to go to our own moon... but no further. And for many centuries, we were stuck, finding better ways to explore the system. "

Ozpin looked away from the display. "But here you are... on a separate world."

Aaron held up a hand for patience. "I'm getting there. The first step we made, was through genetic tinkering. We created the Orokin." The view of Earth disappeared, replaced by a single figure. It wasn't hard for Glynda or Ozpin to see what was different about this... Orokin.

Golden veins ran along its body, giving it an ethereal appearance. Eyes of molten brass shone from a luminous face. Completing the angelic figure was a set of golden wings, their plumage glittering in the nonexistent light of the hologram.

"The proper way to describe the Orokin would be as a caste. A caste far superior to any human. They were capable of incredibly physical feats, had intellects that no normal human could challenge, exquisite beauty without compare."

"They soon created a new human empire, free from poverty, or war, or death. They were immortal gods upon our planet. Soon, they discovered something that would change humanity forever. The Void."

Once again, the hologram changed, this time to reveal a bizarre realm. Unlike the inky blackness of space, it glowed a myriad of colors, from gold, to teal, to blue. Strands of vast cosmic fluff stretched across this expanse, forming strange clouds, or winding formations.

"The Void... can't be described in normal terms. It is _not_ normal. The best way to describe it is as a blinding hellspace, an alternate reality where none of the laws that govern our normal, material plane, function. Science and logic mean nothing to the Void."

Glynda looked uneasy. "You talk about it like it's a living thing, rather than a place."

Aaron contemplated this. "Perhaps it is alive, but not in the way we know the word. Like I said: The Orokin were brilliant, but even they had no idea what to make of the Void. It took centuries of work from the most brilliant Orokin Archimedians to figure out anything."

"Soon the Void was being used for long-distance travel between planets, between systems. We could go from Earth to another star in a matter of seconds. The Orokin empire flourished in the Void Age, for that was what we called it."

Ozpin tapped his fingers on his cane. "So how do we, the people of Remnant, fit into all this? If what you said is true, then how did Humanity come here, to Remnant?"

Aaron audibly sighed. "I don't know. Most logic paths point to the idea that you were once a human colony, which was abandoned by the Orokin. It makes sense, honestly, considering what happened."

"So, we were... forgotten?" asked Glynda. She seemed to be rather disturbed by what they had learned. "Aside from the fact that this information contradicts every known record of human history, I hope there was a monumentally good reason for that."

Back in his Orbiter, Aaron grimaced. He _really_ didn't want to talk about this bit. "Again, this is merely speculation on my part. And as to the second doubt, there was a war. A war that resulted in the first use of the Tenno, and the extinction of the Orokin."

Ozpin jerked back. "Extinction?"

There was a grave nod in response. "Yes. You see, in order to colonize new planets, in far away systems, the Orokin needed a device to do that job for them, so that when colonists arrived, the system would be ready for habitation.

The answer was a series of machines. These creations were designed to be the most adaptable terraforming machines ever designed. You chop off the arm of one, and it would grow back the arm. Not only that, but the arm would grow into a _new_ machine. On top of _that_ , both of those machine would have adapted so that they would be immune to such attacks in the future."

Ozpin nodded, processing this information. "Of course. Such machines would be able to adapt to any number of hostile worlds, and keep doing their job no matter what."

"And that's what made them so deadly. In order to survive in such worlds, they needed to be intelligent. They needed to be _Sentient_. And therein was the problem."

Glynda stepped forwards. "Let me guess, these machines were shipped off to another, barren system, gained sentience, realized that they had been ditched, and decided to come back and use their terraforming tools on civilized worlds."

"No they-" Although they couldn't see him, Aaron did frown. "Correct. And so, armed with tools of planetary destruction, the Sentients marched through the Empire. Worlds burned as single Sentients turned their surfaces molten, their cores distended. Fleets were whittled away like wood to a knife, and trillions died. We were pushed back to Origin."

Ozpin took another sip from his ever-present cup. "And so I assume this is where the Tenno come in?"

Aaron nodded. "Correct. The Sentients- that was their name- had one weakness. To them, the Void was poison. It neutered their reproduction capabilities, bypassed their adaptations. While all the technological might of the Orokin only lead to greater and greater defeats, the Tenno were able to push them back out of Origin."

"I will not share the story of how the Tenno came to be. We were once human, and through a series of terrible events, we became open to the Void. We could channel it, control it. Of course, it came at... great cost to ourselves." He gestured to himself, the Warframe. "These suits, these Warframes, they stabilize us." A technical lie: He didn't even inhabit the suit, and he was perfectly fine, physically speaking, but it was close enough to the truth.

"They allow us to focus our powers into various forms. Every Tenno bonds with a different frame. I bonded with this Excalibur, a suit of blades. Few Tenno could match me in a melee duel. Amongst my teammates, I have teammates who can manipulate ice and snow, or stop time, or go invisible. The Void allows us to accomplish the impossible, and so using that power, we beat back the Sentients."

Glynda, ever the perceptive one, heard the unfinished tale in his sentence. "But then how did the Orokin go extinct?"

"... That information is classified. I am not at a liberty to share that information with you."

"So the Orokin just went and died.?"

Aaron sighed. "There is a long and rather disturbing story behind the fall of the Empire. An agent rose from those ashes, the Lotus. She is our... leader, in a way. After the collapse, she put us into cryosleep for centuries, after which we awoke to our modern system, where new factions arose out of the ruins, to claim those ruins for themselves. The Tenno exist to ensure that no faction can win, and that no matter what, no civilians pay for all those warmongers's crimes in blood."

A pause. "Our civilization is not an optimal one; yours is far better, untouched by the war. But it is mine."

Silence reigned, both Ozpin and Glynda quiet after the tale that they had been told. Finally, Ozpin looked up, a new light in his eyes. "Firstly, despite the detail in which you have told your story, I will require some proof to ensure you haven't lied to us in any way."

The golden being nodded. "Understandable." ' _I know exactly how to prove it, too.'_ Unknown to the two teachers, he called to Ordis, back in the Orbiter. "Ordis, can you please uncloak the ship, and bring it to my coordinates?"

 _" -FLY INTO THE BUILDI- Of course, Operator."_

Settling back into the Warframe, he turned his head towards the two other inhabitants of the room. "If you would be so kind as to look outside the window."

They duly observed, waiting for something out of the ordinary to occur. They waited, seconds passing, a minute passing.

Aaron called again. "Ordis, you're making me look bad. Just bring it down."

 _"Do you know how hard it is to move this thing while two engines are disabled?"_

"No, and I don't care, just bring it down without crashing."

Aaron merged back with the Warframe to hear a small gasp of surprise from Glynda as the clouds parted to reveal the massive form of the Orbiter, hovering above the campus. On the ground, Aaron could see multiple students leap to their feet, gawking at the monstrous vessel above their home.

"Is that enough proof for you, Headmaster?" he inquired, with the smallest trace of humor lighting his voice, as Ordis cloaked the ship, moving it back up to safety.

Shaking his head, Ozpin turned back to Aaron. "Quite. Now, for the second matter. I watched footage of you fighting in the forest yesterday, during the initiation test for some new students. You demonstrated incredible prowess in taking down those Grimm, and in saving my student, Ruby Rose. Your weaponry is also quite impressive."

The Warframe inclined its head. "I suppose."

Ozpin looked at Glynda, who simply stared back with a mix of trepidation, and dawning understanding of what Ozpin was about to do.

"Normally I would take what I've seen and heard as proof enough, but considering what I want from you, I'll need a little more... firsthand evidence."

The phrasing of that sentence was strange. Aaron moved his hand closer to his waist. "And what do you mean by that?"

Ozpin smiled and stood, hefting his cane in one hand. It was just then that Aaron noticed that the handle incorporated a large trigger into it. And then, the man _moved_.

Even by Tenno standards, Ozpin was fast. He was less running, and more blurring into motion. To Ms. Goodwitch nearby, the elderly headmaster must have nearly disappeared from view with the speed that he had moved.

As for Aaron, he was able to draw his blade just in time, stopping Ozpin's cane millimeters from his Warframe's skin. He would have expected the unlikely bludgeon to have been severed when it came into contact with the insanely sharp edge of the Nikana Prime, but it didn't even chip its paint.

Once again, Ozpin blurred, now launching an overhead strike at his undefended back. Without a single wasted movement, swirled his blade onto his back, the cane clanging off the Orokin metal.

 _'What on Earth is he doing?!'_ Aaron thought, frantically spinning, deflecting attacks by a hair's breadth, as Ozpin struck again and again, become increasingly ferocious with every passing second. He was shocked, to be honest, that Ozpin was even able to effectively launch an assault against him. Almost no one could challenge a Tenno in melee combat, save for some other, more experienced Tenno.

To Glynda, she watched on in a mixture of shock and awe, unsure of what to do, as her old friend whirled around the Tenno in jade cyclone, momentary blurs of silver indicating where his cane was striking. Papers flew off the desk from the wind generated.

And in the center of this maelstrom was Aaron, a golden tornado of blades, spinning like a top as his blade seemingly vanished and reappeared, intercepting every attack. Molten gashes appeared in the floor where the blade struck it. The combat had reached an intensity where even the sheath for that golden weapon had joined combat, deflecting attacks that the blade could not.

And just as quickly as the storm had begun, it stopped as Ozpin reappeared on one side of the office. Aaron, just as quickly, raised his blade to shoulder height, pointing at the smiling headmaster.

"Well, Aaron? Won't you counterattack?"

Whether or not the statement actually provoked him, Glynda would never know. The Tenno raised his blade, and with an echoing _shink_ that would have been heard across the schoolyard, he slammed it down, materializing a dozen ethereal longswords around him.

Ozpin only laughed. "What an interesting power. A suit of blades, indeed."

Aaron darted forwards, the blades forming a protective shield as Ozpin met Aaron's first strike, a horizontal slash. While the emotionless facade provided no clues, she could have sworn that Aaron was surprised.

 _'How was he able to intercept that strike?'_ wondered Aaron, as he moved into action, his blade turning into a golden arc of destruction, only to be met by the silver of Ozpin's cane each time.

Frustrated, he sent forth his Javelins in a hurricane of strikes, dancing around the headmaster.

It took every ounce of Ozpin's Semblance and skill to hold them off. Aaron simply stood and watched, obviously torn between amazement and anger.

"You are quite skilled, Headmaster. By this point, even a Tenno would have found it challenging to keep up."

Ozpin stared levelly back, pushing his spectacles up his nose. "Tenno prowess is quite impressive. As is your command over this... Void of yours."

Back in the Orbiter, Aaron only smiled, as he called forth energy, surging it through the limbs of the Warframe. Glynda's expression changed to one of shock as the armour raised its hands, and drew a pulsating blade of energy out of thin air. Prominences of energy danced around it, humming as it travelled through the tense air.

Without further delay, Aaron rushed forwards on a wave of light, striking out with this new weapon. Ozpin knew for certain that his cane could not take it, especially with his Aura levels as they were. So he resorted to a more unorthodox tactic.

He depressed the trigger on the handle, causing a bubble of energy to appear in front of him. Aaron's blade was met with this aegis. The results were... explosive.

Energy howled outwards, as both Aaron and Ozpin were blown back by the force of the blast. Glynda managed to project a telekinetic shield around the office before she herself was thrown into the wall. Even with the barriers she kept up, the reinforced glass groaned as the blast force roared around the room.

When the ringing in her ears stopped, she looked up to see Ozpin standing tall, hands on his cane, as Aaron warily stood at the opposite end of the office, katana still pointed at the two of them.

"Explain yourself immediately, Headmaster. I will not hesitate to use extreme tact-"

Before Glynda could react, Ozpin blurred forward, and Aaron raised his blade to deflect. But it took some time before either of them realized that Aaron wasn't Ozpin's target this time.

There was a force on her lungs, and she felt herself lifted off her feet, and thrown off her feet, into the windows, and out into freefall.

Time seemed to slow, as she struggled to cry out for help. In the speed of the attack, she hadn't thought of trying to suspend herself with her Semblance. In a few seconds, she would have no doubt collided with the pavement, and without her Aura fully raised, she would be pulverized.

Just as she mentally started writing her obituary, something dashed outwards, defying gravity, as it lept off the tower, and caught her in a vice grip. It was Aaron.

Before she could even make a comment about how he had accomplished absolutely nothing with his act of seeming chivalry, despite the speed that her world seemed to move at, Aaron righted himself in midair.

And in full defiance of gravity, and practically every other law of physics, he _pushed,_ and the air _pushed back._ Within seconds, she found herself back at top of the tower, Ozpin serenely gazing on like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Then Aaron, rather unceremoniously, dropped her like a sack of potatoes onto the ground, before drawing his weapon once more and turning to the headmaster. And while she couldn't see his face, his voice was laced with confusion and fury.

"What the absolute hell was that, Ozpin?! I haven't even known you for more than an hour, and I'm already convinced that you've lost your mind."

A warm voice of welcome cut off the furious tirade. "I told you that I needed some firsthand proof of your powers, your origin, and your skills. I have all three."

"All weaponry on Remnant is based upon Dust. That suit of yours most definitely does not use Dust. Any current war-suit here on Remnant would have burned through its supply in minutes with the kind of force I was attacking you with, not to mention the possibility of being destroyed outright. Those abilities are not Aura-based for sure. In fact, I can't even sense an Aura coming from you.

And of course, these facts match up with your story. Of course, I do apologize for the abrupt manner of my testing, but I suppose such is my nature."

Aaron lowered the blade slightly, but still kept it out of its sheath. "So what was the point of this? Just so you have definitive proof that I'm not from around here?"

Glynda rolled her eyes. "I don't think Professor Ozpin would have had needed to level the office for something as petty as _that_."

Said professor gave a disapproving look to his long-time friend. "While I wouldn't call it petty, she is correct in that that's not why I did that.

You see, on Remnant, things have been getting worse, in terms of the Grimm. Over the last few years, the survival rate for outer-Kingdom establishments has been going down. More and more people are being hunted as they attempt to start their lives outside the Kingdoms.

Here at Beacon, we teach the brightest children on the planet on how to combat the Grimm effectively, turning them from hopeful children, into the Huntsman and Huntresses of the future. I feel that what training we're giving them now... won't be sufficient, for what troubles may rise in the future."

If Aaron could have made the Warframe raise a non-existent eyebrow, he would have now. "I feel like there's more to that statement than you let on." he said, earning him another severe look from Goodwitch.

Ozpin paused. "I suppose that's true, in a manner of speaking. But that is irrelevant, at this point in time. I need to be able to prepare my students for what is coming. And I need someone who can help my staff and students accomplish that.

I would like you to help."

"I beg your pardon?" His expression, though unseen, was identical to Glynda's.

"Professor Ozpin, you can't be serious!" Came the outraged cry of said professor

Ignoring the anger of his colleague, Ozpin turned to his possible new recruit. "We teach the students here how to protect the kingdoms from the Grimm, creatures of unfathomable darkness and hate, which seek to devour what is left of humanity, and the Faunus."

Tapping into the local databanks that Ordis had provided, Aaron nodded. "Faunus are the humans with the animal parts right?"

"Correct."

"Hmm." He gave it a few seconds. "Possible Void mutation, will have to research later. Anyways, why do you want me to be a... teacher?"

Ozpin stood, and circled around his desk, pacing in front of them. "Not a teacher, per say. You have shown remarkable combat skill, and fighting against the opponents you said you have, you no doubt have decades of combat experience. I believe you could join Glynda here as an assistant combat instructor- _'You what?!'-_ and teach the students things they normally would not have considered."

While Glynda looked ready to impale Ozpin, Aaron seemed to be giving it some thought (though they couldn't be sure, as he was speaking remotely through the Warframe). "I will accept, on one condition."

Ozpin gave him a look. "What?"

"I need access to resources to repair my ship. The whole reason I'm here is because my ship was escaping from a volatile situation, took a hit which damaged the engines and the Void Core, and sent me here by accident. I need a way to repair the ship, so I can get back to the Tenno, and inform them of your existence. Trust me, you don't want someone else finding you first.

I'd also like to make a point of saying that this is considered extreme courtesy by Tenno standards. Most wouldn't have bothered to ask. They would have stolen the resources themselves."

Ozpin nodded. "Alright. Is that it?"

Aaron nodded. "I will most likely stay in my ship for the nights, but I will assist in any way that Ms. Goodwitch here needs me to. I'm not exactly a people person." Said teacher gave an annoyed noise, like the idea was giving her indigestion.

"Good." said Ozpin, clapping his hands together. "Now, before I take you on a short tour, I need you to do one small thing for me."

Aaron was immediately on guard. His hand drifted near his waist, ready to materialize and draw his guns if needed. "What?"

Ozpin had noticed the movement. "Oh, don't worry, it's nothing like that. I just want to introduce you to the young woman you saved yesterday, and accept her thanks."

 _'Greeaaat. Talking to children. My only weakness.'_ With an outwards sigh, he nodded. "Alright, let's not delay any longer than we have to."

"Follow me."

* * *

 **A/N - Alright, this is a little short, but I honestly didn't see any reason to continue it, just for the sake of word-count. Sorry for the late update, but real life happened to come along and kick me in the guts, so I've honestly had very little motivation. Hopefully this won't be a recurring thing.**

 **A fair number of you have expressed your concerns with how I'm portraying Aaron, and the Tenno as a whole. You felt that the two fight scenes we've had with Aaron were rather quick and boring, simply because Aaron ran through his opponents with little effort.**

 **Understandable as it is, firstly, you have to understand the level that the Tenno normally operate on, compared to Huntsmen. The sheer amount of Void energy they throw around in a fight ensures that they have the upper hand, no matter how skilled or well-armed their opponents may be. On a purely skill-based, or weaponry-based level, they are, for the most part, the same as the inhabitants of Remnant, with some exceptions.**

 **Additionally, these fight scenes were mostly a way for Aaron to 'show off' his prowess to the Beacon initiates. They are not the standard by which I'll be making the fights in later chapters. So please put down the pitchforks, as I will definitely be delivering longer and more drawn out fights later on.**

 **Also, so that no one is confused:**

"Hello" **\- Normal talking.**

 _'Hello' **-**_ **Thinking.**

 **Alright, cheers!**

 **-PVonTuckIII**


End file.
